Once saved, every believer has direct access to the Father. Jesus has promised that He is willing to answer our prayers – for the purpose of being glorified. Things prayed for that are not for this purpose are apt to go unanswered. If you will give God the glory for answers to specific prayer, He will be glad to fulfill it.

Even though this is like being given a blank check, it is a shame how few Christians develop a strong prayer life. As we draw nigh to God in daily and serious prayer, you will find more to pray about, and prayer will become easy and as natural as breathing – and so will getting answers to prayer.

Along with a growing and strong prayer life, you will also be able to enjoy the peace of God and bring forth fruit to God. Knowing that you can call on Him and get answers from the Creator of the universe is worth its weight in gold. Victory will also come much easier.

Other Scriptures mention that if you are serious about getting answers to prayer, then we must also have sin confessed, and be ready to do His will. Thank God that by a simple prayer of confession to Him, He will instantly forgive and cleanse (I John 1:9).

Will you take the time to draw nigh to God – and is it worth it to you to develop a strong prayer life? Will you start today?

Here are some things that Jesus told His disciples as they listened to Him:

I. Disciples Continue in the Word

Jesus is delighted with and takes note of those who seek to know the Bible and strive to follow it. He looks for those who whole-heartedly will follow Him. By His statement, Jesus reveals those whom He considers to be real believers and those who are not.

II. Discipleship Is Necessary to Know the Truth

Although the Bible is readily available to many people, a large number of those with a Bible really do not understand its teachings. They also miss the spiritual meanings because they either are not saved or are not in tune with the Holy Spirit.

These verses plainly show that obeying God’s truth is necessary to correctly understand the Bible. Jesus said this to those who had believed on Him, so He is not talking about how to be saved. Grasping the real meaning of the Bible requires more than just a grammatical and historical interpretation – although that helps.

III. Knowing the Truth Brings Spiritual Freedom

Spiritual freedom comes from understanding the truth of the Word. Freedom comes when you:

1. Understand that it is not necessary to follow the Law for salvation, because Jesus paid for all your sin.

2. Know that the Bible guarantees Heaven for believing what Jesus did for you on the Cross – and no more (John 3:16,17).

3. Take advantage of the access to the Father (prayer) that Jesus purchased for you (Hebrews 10:19).

4. Get victory over sin (day-by-day) because the Holy Spirit now lives in you (Ephesians 1:13,14).

5. Study the Bible and use the many promises in it to enable you to live for God.

6. Salvation removes the guilt of past sin

7. And much more.

Are you daily learning more of God’s truth that sets you free?

While the tendency is to look at things outside of ourselves in this spiritual war, we certainly do not want to forget that sometimes we are our own worst enemy. All sin springs from our own minds.

Temptations will come to us almost entirely through our minds – although some external influences can be very strong. Getting victory demands that we watch our selves first and how we “watch” for the devices of the enemy.

One important way to get victory is to start the day right. Doing so does not wait until you have had a cup of coffee or read your Bible. It starts before that. Most likely, your thoughts are already on what you intend to do through the day before you get out of bed.

This focus on your duties of the day can provide a sufficient distraction to get your mind off of God and His will for you. Instead of this habit, talk to God in your first waking moments – before your feet touch the floor – and give the day to Him and make yourself available to do His bidding. He may have you witness to someone at work or someone who crosses your path throughout the day.

Instead of giving God part of a day – after you made your own plans – why not serve Him the whole day? It will require getting in your Bible at the start of the day and getting in some prayer, too.

Are you ready for a better victory in your “good warfare”?

In the last blog post, it was mentioned that believers in Christ are engaged in a war. It is not a war with physical weapons, but one of the heart and mind.

Satan and his hordes constantly seek to weaken the impact that Christians have in their lives and in the world. There are many ways he tries to do this.

Christians can become so busy with daily activities that they forget about “seeking first the kingdom of God.” The same activities can cause believers to cease being “sober” or “vigilant.”

At the same time, they can forget that Satan is seeking to “devour” you. All he wants to do is to make you ineffective in the kingdom of God and to destroy your joy and testimony. When you lose your focus on the war, you become ineffective and powerless to accomplish anything for God. You have become a casualty in Christian warfare. There is no victory for you.

If you are reading this and believe that you have become a powerless casualty, you can be restored quickly and made useful again to God in this spiritual war. Simply confess the sin to God, ask His forgiveness and He will give it. Then, start doing what you know He wants you to do as given in the Bible and ask for His help to do it. Victory in Jesus is still available to those who want it.

In the news lately, we hear much about “wars and rumours of wars” (Mt. 24:6). War can certainly – and drastically – change the way people within an area live, especially if there is action or bombs or missiles striking there. The people of Israel, Iran, Ukraine, and Russia can vouch for this.

Christians also are at war – although it is primarily a spiritual one. Paul tells us that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal” (II Cor. 10:4) or physical. Of course, most of us prefer peace and getting along with others.

Despite the desire of peace, we are living in a world that is contrary to God. It is also at war with us to try and force us into its mold. We must always remember that the Bible tells us that “The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name” (Ex 15:3). It means that He is always in opposition to forces in this world that seek to turn people’s eyes from Him to another “idol” of some kind. Lately, that idol is the god of self.

Young Timothy, a preacher, was told to “war a good warfare.” This Scriptural admonition is not just for preachers, but for every believer. It must be remembered that Christians are only rewarded for victories against the flesh, the world, and the Devil. I John 2:15 warns believers that we must “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

Compromisers will not be applauded or rewarded for their lukewarmness and worldliness when we stand before our Captain – the Lord Jesus Christ. He is looking for faithful individuals who will take up the Christian armor (Eph. 6:10-18) and be faithful until they meet our Lord.

Are you getting victories daily over the enemies of God spiritually?

In these two verses, Paul compares the Christian life to a race. In a race, he says, everyone runs, but only one is going to receive the prize.

This fact makes the competition more interesting. If you are going to run, it is not worth it unless you are serious about trying to win. As Christians, we know that there are rewards in Heaven that will be given for faithfulness and doing our best. Potential winners have no time for being lazy or daydreaming. Instead, they need to be focused on the goal and putting forth a lot of effort to achieve it.

Paul urges every believer to run like you mean it – like you really want to win the prize from the Lord. After all, we are not running for a crown that only lasts for a little while, which was the case of Olympic runners in Paul’s day. The believer’s crown is incorruptible and eternal.

Runners who want to go for the prize will also pay a price to do it. They seek to be “temperate in all things.” It means that their running becomes the most important thing to them. They restrict their diet, get a good night’s sleep, and practice most every day.

This brings us to the question of how well are you running (serving) the Lord? Could you be doing better? or more? Are you doing the will of God for your life?

The Bible is the source of truth for every Christian. It repeatedly speaks of Christ’s resurrection from the dead and then declares that He gave them many “infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3) of His resurrection during the next forty days.

Everything the Christian believes depends on the fact of the resurrection. The Bible records it accurately in each of the Gospels, with each one bearing slightly different testimony as each witness saw it. Identical accounts would point to collusion.

The text verse for today says the Bible can be believed. You trusted it for your salvation – now trust it to guide your life. The promises are yours to claim – once it is seen who they are for and any conditions that might apply. They are all there to enable believers to trust Him and to get victory.

God is looking for overcomers with His help. With God’s armor and the promises, you can do His will and run your course. Remember His promise: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

Before uttering these words, Jesus had once again told His disciples that He would first suffer and then be leaving them soon. Although they were saddened by the news, they did not understand it.

In the same way, we also are sometimes saddened by news and events that occur in our lives. It could be the death of a loved one, news of cancer or some other disease, world news, etc., but the truth is that Jesus’ reply to their sadness still can help today.

He told them the things in this verse so that even when they do face tribulation or persecution, or possibly even death, that they can still have inner peace in the face of it. Even more than that, He told them that it is possible you could also “be of good cheer” in those times.

In other words, you do not need to be defeated by events or circumstances, even though there may be anguish and pain involved. God wants His born-again children to be overcomers, and He gives them the grace and power to do so. Faith in His promises enables victory.

Are you utilizing His grace and power now so that – at the end of the day – you are an overcomer? If you need to, why not admit your weakness and ask Him for help right now?